Collection of Sacred Hymns, 1835

Located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Area settled, by 1787. Organized 1809. Population in 1830 about 340. Population in 1840 about 520. Contained Harmony village (no longer in existence). Josiah Stowell hired JS to help look for treasure in area, Oct. 1825...

just days after her baptism. Among other counsel, she was instructed to “make a selection of Sacred Hymns as it shall be given thee which is pleasing unto me to be had in my Church for my Soul delighteth in the song of the heart yea the song of the heart righteous is a prayer unto me & it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.”
(Revelation, July 1830–C [D&C 25])

This revelation gave divine approval to the inclusion of music in church meetings. Most early Latter-day Saint converts came from religious traditions that included hymn singing, and records indicate this practice was continued in the new church even before the publication of a hymnal. Emma

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

’s initial role appears to have been deciding which existing hymns would be appropriate expressions of worship. At a 30 April 1832 meeting of the Literary Firm, the church’s publishing arm, in Independence

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

.” (Minute Book 2, 30 Apr. 1832) In June 1832, the church’s newspaper, The Evening and the Morning Star, began publishing Protestant hymn texts with doctrinal revisions by Phelps, the paper’s editor. In 1833, new Latter-day Saint hymns began appearing in the Star.

JS revelations, dated 20 July and 1 Aug. 1831, directed establishment of LDS church’s first printing office in Independence, Missouri. Dedicated by Bishop Edward Partridge, 29 May 1832. Located on Lot 76, on Liberty Street just south of courthouse square....

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

was destroyed by mob violence in July 1833. A new press was functional in Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

, Ohio, by December 1833, and the church renewed various publishing efforts, including a newspaper, a compilation of revelations, and a collection of hymns. At a meeting of the church’s presidency on 14 September 1835, it was “decided that Sister Emma Smith

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

be appointed to revise and arrange them for printing.” (Minute Book 1, 14 Sept. 1835) Phelps was a boarder at the JS and Emma Smith home during these months, and wrote to his wife, Sally, in Liberty

Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...

, Missouri, on 14 November that his time was “all taken in the printing office,” and “the hymn book is not likely to progress as fast as I wish, but we are all kept busy.” (William W. Phelps, Kirtland, OH, to Sally Phelps, Liberty, MO, 14 Nov. 1835, in Historical Department, Journal History of the Church, 14 Nov. 1835, CHL)

Although it bears a publication date of 1835, A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Church of the Latter Day Saints was apparently not available until early 1836. The title page notes that the hymns were “Selected by Emma Smith

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

also played a major role in all aspects of preparing the volume. The hymnal contains the text of ninety hymns, divided into sections titled Sacred Hymns, Morning Hymns, Evening Hymns, Farewell Hymns, On Baptism, On Sacrament, On Marriage, and Miscellaneous. A preface and index of first lines are also included.

The hymn texts emphasize key tenets of the religion, such as building a literal Zion in Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

and preparing for an imminent Second Coming, and reflect a strong sense of community. The publication of the hymnal was an important step in creating a distinct identity for the church and laid a foundation for the continued role of music in Latter-day Saint worship.

, comp., A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Church of the Latter Day Saints, Kirtland, OH: F. G. Williams & Co., 1835, [i]–iv, 5–122, 5 pages of index paginated i–v. The copy used herein is held at CHL.